British MPs call for complete suspension of military aid to Colombia

Colombia news - British Parliament

MPs from all parties of Britain's parliament call for a complete end of military aid for Colombia's military in response to the human rights abuses and murders committed by the security forces, the BBC reported Tuesday.

The motion as presented in British Parliament

This House

notes with concern the increase in trades unionists assassinated in Colombia in 2008
notes the recent statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that she believes the Colombian security forces to be involved in "widespread and systematic" killings of civilians
welcomes the findings of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee... [in particular the] conclusion that UK military assistance to Colombia is "inappropriate" given the "serious" human rights situation in Colombia
calls on the government to freeze UK military assistance to Colombia until the regime fully implements the repeated human rights recommendations made by the UN

Source: BBC

According to the BBC, a so-called Early Day Motion to withdraw all military support received the initial support of 242 (of 646) lawmakers from all parties.The support makes its the 4th (of 1,981) most supported motions presented to Parliament.

The lawmakers also welcomed the findings of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee which said UK military assistance to Colombia was "inappropriate" given the "serious" human rights situation in the south American country.

The UK Foreign Office said it shared many of the MPs' concerns, but added: "We do not believe that isolating Colombia will help solve its problems,"the BBC quoted a Foreign Office spokesman.

"Quite the opposite, we believe that we have a strong interest in helping Colombia address its problems of violence and exclusion, human rights abuses and illegal drugs. We cannot turn our back on these problems," the Foreign Office said.

Britain ended its support to Colombia's Ministry of Defense in March, but never revealed how much money it spends in Colombian counter-narcotics operations, citing "security concerns."

The MPs and the country's largest labor union will launch a group called Friends of Colombia to protest the murder and arbitrary imprisonment of trade unionists and human rights workers.

The Colombian authorities say the death toll is lower than humanitarian and foreign governments report, and it is working to improve human rights and levels of impunity in the country's military.